Steve Cherundolo played for the Nomads from the age of 11. While in the Club Steve was coached by Derek Armstrong, Brian McManus and David Armstrong. His team won State Championship in 1991 and 1993. White at the Nomads Steve participated with the Nomads at the Dallas Cup every year. Each year the Nomads takes their Under 16 year olds on a tour to England to play the Premier Academies. In 1996 Steve visited Liverpool Football Club with the Nomads and they wanted to keep him over there but he decided to come back and go to college because he couldn’t get a visa. The Nomads beat the Liverpool Academy team 3-2 playing which included Michael Owen who scored the two goals for Liverpool. This was one of the highlights of the tour. Because of the friendship of the late Clive Charles and Derek Armstrong, Steven was guided in the direction of the University of Portland where he received a full scholarship.

Cherundolo left the University of Portland to sign with Hannover in January of 1999 after his sophomore season, where he was coached by US Soccer legend, the late Clive Charles.

In his first season playing for Hannover, Cherundolo saw only limited action, appearing in just eight games, mostly as a midfielder. It was the following season however, in which he established himself as a fixture in the Hannover team.After making the move to right back, and despite his size disadvantage, Cherundolo played in 30 league games and was rated as one of the top five defenders in the 2 Bundesliga by the notoriously harsh German soccer magazine Kicker. The 2001/02 was also a very successful one for Hannover, as the team was promoted to the 1 Bundesliga.

Now entering his 6th season with the club, he has made over 100 appearances and has been entrenched as almost automatic on the team sheet.

International Career

Cherundolo made his first appearance in a US jersey for the Under-20s on April 4, 1998 against Iceland. He went on to be co-captain of the US U-20s at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Nigeria in 1999, where the team was eliminated in the second round by eventual champions Spain.

A little over a year later Steve earned his first cap for the full national team in a 2-2 draw with Jamaica in Kingston on September 8, 1999.

He was a late addition to the World Cup 2002 squad after an injury forced Chris Armas to withdraw, as well as Armas’ replacement Greg Vanney. In a strange twist of fate, Cherundolo himself missed the entire World Cup 2002 due to an injury he sustained while in South Korea.

The right back played three matches as the US marched to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup crown, but suffered a knee injury in the quarterfinal win over Jamaica that ended his tournament.

The Hannover ace scored his first international goal in March 2006 during a loss away to Germany.

Cherundolo was selected to Bruce Arena’s 2006 World Cup squad, where he started all three US matches.

Total games for Hannover 96: 201Second Division games (goals): 68 (1)First Division games (goals): 133 (4)USA games (goals): 38 (1)